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Tuesday, October 2, 2007

I have been quite busy and have not been as attentive to my blogs as I would like. I must say that no matter what is going on in one's life, it can be a learning experience!

Due to budget restraints, I have been weighing every purchase with absolute scrutiny. And I then see if it is a product that I can make at home. So far I am learning a great deal about all of the little things we throw in our shopping carts without much of a second thought.

I uncovered a statistic that I am trying to support with additional data, that shows that only 11% of all of the products in our homes have gone through any safety of health testing. Now is that alarming? Yes, as the number of cancer cases and autism rates, and this and that have sky rocketed.

So I began to research what I could and could not live without, based on finances and what the product contained. With cleaning products, I resorted to the big 3...lemon juice, baking soda, and vinegar. With these 3 products most of our home and laundry will become squeaky clean and fresh. And the big bonus is that these products are very inexpensive and natural.

I will post on my blog Lots for Less the actual mixes to create the needed cleaner.

Then I went to the dental products, haircare products, and things of the such. I already posted on Lots for Less how to make liquid hand soap, and soap bars, and soon I will post several hair rinses, and shampoos that are made with non toxic chemicals. Most of the products going into hair care have synthetic ingredients which then are absorbed into our scalps. Makes one wonder about Alzheimer's and things of that nature, right? I have several recipes for natural hair sprays, and gels. I will only list the ones that I have made and have used. By the way making these things is cheaper too. The best bonus is that you will know all the ingredients that are contained in it.

Now I must say that even though my childhood was not lacking in any material item, my mother was very creative, and I learned from her. I know that my creativity has allowed me to think out of the box and has made our lives not strained from the lack of currency. I am able to make even the most humble of things look better. I also look at things that may appear to be broken and consider the possibilities. I am so grateful for this skill. So I did not begin the journey of living on less for any other reason than it takes the burden off of Bill. But in my seeking to save, I am discovering many incredible things.

I must say that the children have kicked in and begun with me selling burritos to several offices downtown. We only make the burritos on Tuesday and so far the success is really wonderful. Even the smallest efforts in unity are rewarding.

So as I ramble in my thoughts of the journey that we the Pen of Jen family have taken since Bill's accident I must say, having an option to redo anything would be so sad. As each step has brought us to this point. To a point of learning that one can live for less. Believe me Lots Less.Jennifer

P. S. Wanted to tell you....I plan to try making some of the oatmeal soap bars first chance I get. I thought those were so neat. When I was a teenager we use to wash our face with raw oatmeal. They claimed it was good to clean the pores.Susan